EDINBURGH, Scotland, October 30, 2003 — Many people perceive the Bible to be a stodgy, old, black leather book with little, if any, intrigue or sex appeal. The Scottish Bible Society is out to change that perception. As part of its five-year HomeWORD Bound program intended to help people in Scotland rediscover God's Word, SBS has developed an innovative new initiative using original, eye-catching posters to publicize bite-sized Bible stories in novel format. The books offer a chance for people with no formal knowledge of the Bible to dip in and sample some of the stories, poetry, history and philosophy that it contains.
Four different posters, featured on billboards across Scotland, have been designed to arouse people's curiosity and direct them to a website, www.bookofgod.org, where they can purchase the special books for £1 ($2.20 Cdn.) each. The posters feature attention-grabbing images and captivating tag lines. For example, the poster for the story of Esther declares "Sex, power and money don't always corrupt", while the ad for the David and Goliath story notes that "The big guy doesn't always win." The books, which are also available at leading bookstores throughout Scotland, use text from the New Living Translation. Each book also contains a coupon for £1 off the purchase of a complete Bible.
Bible Society Executive Director, Rev. Doug Campbell, feels that the books offer "brilliant stories that speak to the human condition," and that they should be very effective in attracting people's attention, especially those in the 18-35 age group. He explains that the poster campaign is aimed primarily at "those who are not church members, yet who, we believe, still need to engage with the timeless words of the Bible."
The Scottish Bible Society has benefitted from the expertise of skilled media professionals who have contributed their time and abilities to help develop the project. The creative team has been headed by Chas Bayfield, from a leading advertising agency, with contributions from Francis Goodwin (Chair of Christians in Media) and German photographer, Tomas Schelp.
"We are fortunate in having so much creative and practical talent at our disposal," observes Campbell. "Perhaps it shows that even in the hard-bitten world of advertising there are still many who think that the Bible counts for something."
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